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Canada seemed to have taken to the idea of being good at football rather easily following their 6-0 win over Qatar and bubble with confidence against Switzerland who had an assured quality to them.

Canada’s reward for the win is to stay in Canada, which I suppose was the Swiss reward too, but neither of them seemed especially motivated to claim the victory.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the other hand, were of a mind to win with Kerim Alajbegovic scoring a goal of the tournament in a game no one was especially watching, and a game in which Bosnia tried to get as high in the “Four Points and Good Goal Difference” table as they could.

With that danger in the air The Swiss and The Canadians passed the ball around in a way we may get used to over the next few nights, until the Neutral Boys emerged from half time pressing more and scored instantly.

Canada manager Jesse Marsch is a curious figure, with a desire to be good which outstrips his capacity. He is stunned when the Swiss are two up, seemingly with no response, but then he brings on Promise David who scored a fine goal and Canada spend the next fifteen minutes showing a sort of urgency.

In the end,the Swiss ran out 2-1 winners and top the group from Canada who best Bosnia, who beat last place Qatar 3-1 and set the first mark for a third placed teams of four points.

Alarm

Brazil were able to navigate Scotland with ease 3-0 with the Scots failing to hold possession at the back. As a man mulling over the England Ghana game the space that the Scots – who only needed one point from two games – left between their lines both horizontally and vertically is mindblowing. Scotland end with three points, and have a long wait before probably heading home.

Haiti had a desire to signal that despite having lost to both Scotland and Brazil, they had something about them, and did with two good goals and a decent performance against Morocco but the North Africans were able to instill a control on the game and ground out victory to finish second.

Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti. No alarms, no surprises.

Avoid

When looking for surprises avoid Mexico, they put out Czechia 3-0 to top the group, but Republic of Korea’s single goal loss to South Africa might be the shock of the first round. The Koreans are an able side but their ability to form working patterns seemed questionable. They do a lot, but not a lot in the right places, and at the right times.

South Africa were able to find spaces between the Korean lines, and when Mexico started obviously winning their game, The Africans both created and took chances better and deserved a victory.

So South Korea end up in third with three points and a feeling that the World Cup never got started for them. As with Scotland they wait for the line to be drawn but one suspects it will be drawn pretty close to them. They may not be done with the World Cup, but they have a lot to do to make their presence worthwhile.

Almost

Japan’s game with Sweden almost became exciting, but did not to everyone other than Anthony Elanga who beat the floor in fury not realising that the 1-1 draw would put both teams through, because of course it will.

The Japanese and the Swedes played out an interesting encounter and while Japan look very good on the ball it seems unlikely that they will have enough to beat Brazil, who they will play in the round of 32 although we can but hope. Sweden go high in the third placed group.

Elsewhere The Netherlands beat Tunisia 3-1 and carry on an assured progress through the group stage and into a second round where Morocco await, and for the winner of that game, one of Canada and South Africa. That is a route.

Rest

The USA rested a lot of players and lost to Türkiye to little impact while Australia and Paraguay played out a draw – a theme is emerging here – and both are through to a round of 32. Ivory Coast were able to best Curacao in an unsurprising way taking second place in another group which contained the actually exciting Ecuador vs Germany game.

Germany took the lead after two minutes, but seemed to let control of the game slide a little, and then a lot, and the game on German Television ended up Julian Nagelsmann being apologised to by Jurgen Klopp with Klopp having suggested that Nagelsmann was picking the team “for now”.

The suggestion being that Klopp is ready to take over the German national team, which he seems to be, and Nagelsmann is ready to go manage one of those European club sides that have run out of ways to improve themselves, which he is.

Klopp’s point against Nagelsmann is that he has the Germany players trying to do too much in a way, a set of tactics too complicated to have weeks to work on not years, and that there is a virtue to simplicity. As Mauricio Pochettino, Carlo Ancelotti and Thomas Tuchel present themselves as elite manager bringing the techniques of the club game to international football, Klopp positions himself as a post-elite manager, stripping the game to something more simple.

Struck

The third game problem struck France’s encounter with Norway with Earling Haaland sitting it out and Ousmane Dembélé coming to the fore. The French boss Didier Deschamps missed the game for family reasons, but the players did not skip a beat with Dembélé getting a hat trick.

Elsewhere Senegal decided it was time to start playing and put five goals past a ten man Iraq, each goal climbing a little higher in the table of third placed teams, until they had qualified.

Being a Senegal fan must be odd. You may have won Afcon, you may be one of the better teams in the World Cup, or none of those things may be true.

Slumber

As with Senegal, Belgium rose from their slumber and won 5-1 against New Zealand to win their group. Belgium’s progress as an unremarkable team was flattered by this result, but Charles De Ketelaere replacing Romelu Lukaku made a more sensible structure.

Elsewhere Egypt’s draw with Iran was a lot of fun with Iran scoring – but having ruled out – a last minute winner which seemed to be able to ruled out on a million small things but none of them large enough to feel like they justify ruling out the goal.

Iran are ranked 20th over Egypt’s 29th so from a football point of view this should not feel like an underdog robbed, but the situation which Iran have been forced to play in makes it feel like an absence of justice.

Football is at its best when it allows a proud pair of fingers to be held up to the establishment. This world cup has been anything but that and these final group games have reflected that. One the whole the teams that should, have, leaving the pretence of danger where there was none, or very little.

That

England beat Panama 2-0 leaving the Central Americans feeling somewhat disenchanted having played well in three games but got no goals and no points. Croatia got a 2-1 win over Ghana which saw both teams progress, of course.

Portugal got battered 0-0 by Colombia who leave the group stages looking as strong as anyone in the tournament, while DR Congo were worried by an early goal from Uzbekistan but a fine performance from Yoane Wissa turned the game around to win 3-1.

Argentina trundled past Jordan 3-1 while Austria and Algeria were settling the feud started in 1982 with one World Cup stitch up by refusing to host another. Algeria’s 93rd minutes winner with Riyad Mahrez seemed to be a a narrative punchline on a group stage which had started to outstay its welcome, but Sasa Kalajdzic got an equaliser five minutes later which eliminated Iran.

And that was that really.